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Do You Know Poland 2018 Brochure

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Do You Know Poland 2018 Brochure DO YOU KNOW POLAND? BOOKS AND INFORMATION ON POLISH HISTORY AND CULTURE General History of Poland Patrice Dabrowski, Poland: The First Thousand Years (2014) Avoiding academic prose yet precise, this sweeping overview of the history of Poland into the 21st century is engagingly written but geared toward more scholarly audiences. Excellent source of knowledge about outstanding individuals, major turning points, and origins of such memorable mottos as " for our freedom and yours" which reverberated through the long history of struggles for Poland's independence and freedom during the 19th and 20th centuries. Norman Davies, God’s Playground: A History of Poland (several editions between 1981 and 2005) The first of the “modern” studies of Poland, this detailed history in two volumes (Volume 1: The origins to 1795 and Volume 2: 1795 to the present) is also widely viewed as one of the best English-language works on the subject. Davies is widely known as a prolific writer and an expert on Polish and European history. Norman Davies, Europe: A History (1995) A highly innovative work that gives proper attention to Poland’s place in European history. From the review section of Good Reads website: "....histories should neither be told as stories or as simply a collection of facts, but something in between: Davies does it to near perfection. The writing is smooth and easily understandable for all." John Radzilowski, A Traveller’s History of Poland (2007, 2nd edition in 2014) Not a travelogue but an outstanding account of Poland's complex history and Poles' invincible spirit. Designed for general audiences, this clearly written and well- organized book includes numerous illustrations, maps, timelines, lists of historical figures, and a gazetteer. Adam Zamoyski, The Polish Way: A Thousand Year History of the Poles and Their Culture (1993 and later editions) Masterly and captivating work that presents Poland’s history with a literary slant and an eye for the audience with prior knowledge of the subject. The book is richly illustrated and includes some maps and a bibliography. Adam Zamoyski has also authored other valued works on Poland (e.g. The Last Kingdom of Poland, Holy Madness, Warsaw 1920 - Lenin's Failed Conquest of Europe, The Forgotten Few: The Polish Air Force in World War II) as well as biographies of Frederic Chopin and Ignacy Jan Paderewski. Polish-American History James Pula, Thaddeus Kosciuszko: The Purest Son of Liberty (1998) An excellent biography of Kosciuszko, the forward thinking patriot who fought for America’s and Poland's independence at the end of the 18th century. Alex Storozynski, The Peasant Prince: Thaddeus Kosciuszko and the Age of Revolution (2010) A great read about the national hero of two nations. From the reviews on the Amazon website: "... one of the most entertaining, fascinating, and comprehensive nonfiction personal histories I have ever read. It reads as if it was made for the silver screen." and "While it should be mandatory reading for people with interests in Poland, it should also be mandatory for anyone interested in freedom." Piotr Wandycz, The United States and Poland (1980) An outstanding study of the history of relations between Poland and the United States over the centuries. It is also the very first significant book that brings Polish Americans and Polonia (Polish community in America) into this story. James Pula (editor), The Polish American Encyclopedia (2011) The very best single volume detailing the story of the Polish migration and settlement experience in America. It covers the ties between Polonia and Poland and the people who are key to this story. The book belongs in every library in the United States and in the home of every Polish American who is interested in learning more about his or her heritage. Donald Pienkos, Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow: The Story of the Polish National Alliance (2008) This detailed story of the largest and most significant Polish American organization includes a good discussion of Polonia's role in Poland’s liberation from Soviet domination in and after 1989, and its entry into NATO. Dr. Pienkos also wrote the official history of the Polish American Congress, For Your Freedom Through Ours: Polish American Efforts on Polands’ Behalf, 1863- 1991 (1991). Important Journals and Publishers Polish American Studies (semi-annual), Sarmatian Review (three times a year) and Polish Review (quarterly) Publishers: Hippocrene Books Publishing Company and Aquila Polonica Publishing Poland in World War II Józef Garliński, Poland in World War II (1985) A clear and comprehensive discussion of the place of Poland in this conflict. The author published several other useful books including works on the role of Polish mathematicians in breaking the Nazi German “Enigma” machine code before World War II and on the resistance movement in the German concentration camp in Auschwitz. Halik Kochanski, The Eagle Unbowed (2012) An unmatched synthesis of Poland’s experience in World War II. The author deftly integrates operational analysis with complex internal politics of Poland’s armed forces in exile. Her account of the Polish Resistance and the 1944 Warsaw Uprising is excellent; and her treatment of Polish-Jewish relations is well-balanced. Kenneth Koskodan No Greater Ally: The Untold Story of Poland’s Forces in World War II (2011) From the Amazon website: "The story of millions of young men and women who gave everything for freedom and in the final victory lost all. In a cruel twist of history, the monumental struggles of an entire nation have been largely forgotten, and even intentionally obscured." Richard Lukas, Forgotten Holocaust: The Poles under German Occupation 1939- 1944 (2017) If you were raised on the belief that only Jews suffered at the hands of the Nazis, you are in for a shock in reading this thorough account of the barbaric murder of 3 million Polish gentiles by the Germans during World War II as well as the cultural genocide of Poland (the systematic German practice of destroying any traces of Polish culture). The book also includes the story of ŻEGOTA, the underground organization that helped to save thousands of Jews, and an annotated list of Poles executed by Germans for helping the Jews. Richard Lukas, Out of the Inferno: Poles Remember the Holocaust (1989) An anthology of gripping recollections of 60 Poles who survived the atrocities of German occupation of Poland in World War II. Many stories focus on participation in resistance and/or efforts to help/ save Jewish countrymen - even though German occupiers punished them by death to the helpers and their families. Władysław Szpilman, The Pianist (1999) Personal account of a Polish Jews survival in Warsaw, 1939-1945. Szpilman’s shock and ensuing numbness become ours, so the acts of ordinary kindness or humanity of those who helped him survive take on an aura of miracle. Miscellaneous Topics Piotr Wandycz, The Lands of Partitioned Poland, 1795-1918 (1974) A highly useful study of the Polish lands under foreign rule from the end of the 18th century until 1918. It makes interesting reading for Polish Americans who wish to learn more about their immigrant ancestors’ origins and the conditions which led them to leave for America. Peter Hetherington, Unvanquished: Joseph Pilsudski, Resurrected Poland and the Struggle for Eastern Europe (2014) This work expertly combines biography (Pilsudski lived from 1867 to 1935) with the discussion of the larger story of Poland’s political experience up to World War II. Pilsudski was arguably the most important of the three main statesmen (Ignacy Paderewski and Roman Dmowski are the others) playing the leading roles in the resurrection of an independent Polish state in 1918, after 123 years under foreign domination. Adam Zamoyski, Paderewski (1982) A captivating biography of the cherished pianist and composer using his worldwide fame to promote the idea of an independent Poland. He is widely credited for his role in the U.S president including the creation of Polish sovereign statehood as one of the prerequisite peace conditions (The Fourteen Points) for ending the World War I. While representing Poland at the Paris Peace Conference (1919), Paderewski also served as Poland's Prime Minister and its Minister of Foreign Affairs. Piotr Wandycz, The Price of Freedom (1992) History of east/central Europe countries that became free of Soviet domination after 1989 ( Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic). Despite obvious differences, these countries remain connected by a certain "similarity of fate" and bonds forged under the rule of the Jagiellonian dynasty kings reigning between the 14th and 16th centuries. M.B. Biskupski, Hollywood’s War with Poland, 1939-1945 (2010) An indispensable work discussing an important question: Why has the story of Poland (and Polish Americans) received so little or no constructive attention in Hollywood motion pictures ? With a persuasive explanation, this book tackles the problem of Poland’s low profile and misrepresentation in mass media. Other notable historians and authors MarianImportant Kamil Dziewanowski - Authorsoutstanding historian of Poland, Russia and modern Central Europe. Jan Nowak, Jan Karski, and Stefan Korboński - three post WorldImportant War II émigrés and authorsAuthors of outstanding works on Polish themes. Neal Pease - award winning historian of the Catholic church in 20th century Poland. Treasures of Polish Literature Adam Mickiewicz (1798-1855) Widely regarded as Poland’s National Poet, Mickiewicz wrote during Poland’s Romantic Period. Known chiefly for the poetic drama “Dziady” (Forefathers’ Eve) and the national epic poem “Pan Tadeusz: The Last Foray in Lithuania,” described on the Amazon website as "a towering achievement of European literature." His poems read beautifully in Polish but language and metering tend to dull the translations in English. Hopefully, this changes with a new translation of "Pan Tadeusz" by Bill Johnston, the award-winning translator of Polish literature. The book is scheduled for release on September 18, 2018.
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